


The Basketball Guy

by Vampowerment



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Troy Bolton is trans, basically an essay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 05:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11891145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampowerment/pseuds/Vampowerment
Summary: Troy Bolton comes out while he's pretty young, and in an effort to be supportive, his dad does his best to groom his son into the perfect basketball guy.





	The Basketball Guy

Troy realized he was a guy pretty early on; he always hung out with the guys on the basketball team his dad coached, which gave him an interest in sports that helped him bond with the boys his own age. He was close friends with Chad in particular, but was also pretty close with Jason and Zeke through association. One time he was hanging out with them all and Chad casually referred to him as “like one of the guys” and he almost started crying. That same day, shortly after that, he came to the conclusion that yeah, he was one of the guys. He told Chad first, who was very excited about his best friend being a boy like him, and then the other guys who were also supportive.

When he went home that day he told his parents, who took the news pretty well. His dad, Jack, immediately made jokes about finally being able to have someone to take to sports games (”Dad, you take me to sports games already!”) and insisted that Troy would be able to be on his basketball team when he got to high school.

He, of course, made the team.

In an effort to be supportive, Jack made sure to help Troy do all the super masculine father-son bonding stuff his dad did with him, but slightly more intense. He was certain that Troy must want to make basketball his priority now, right? 

This mentality was thrust upon young and impressionable Troy, who soon associated basketball heavily with his own masculinity. His vision was soon tuneled by his need to be The Basketball Guy. He can’t be caught caring about stuff like theatre and music, right? Just basketball. Only basketball. That’s what his dad wants and that’s what he’s got to do.

Then Gabriella shows up, and suddenly he’s “that guy from karaoke.” He has fun being the singing guy for a night, and then puts that in his past as soon as he leaves. Gabriella made him feel confident and good doing things outside of basketball, but that’s not  _supposed to happen,_  right?

It was a good night. The night ended. It’s time to just be the basketball guy again; except, that doesn’t feel right anymore. Gabriella is at school that monday and suddenly he can’t stop thinking about performing, and soon instead of just being “the basketball guy” he’s “freaky callback boy.” Suddenly he’s being put under a spotlight and scrutinized for his skill in a field he never thought he was could pursue. Suddenly his dad all his friends are seeing him as something other than “the basketball guy” and it’s terrifying, exhilarating, and somehow feels right.

His dad doesn’t understand; he’s been helping his son be masculine all these years, right? He’s been doing the best he can, and now Troy’s shimmying around on stage singing at the top of his lungs? It doesn’t make any sense. Doesn’t he want to take his team to the championships? 

It’s not until he really listens to Troy, instead of just talking at him, that he starts to understand. 

“What I really want is to see my son having the time of his life   playing the game we both love, You give me that, and I will sleep with a smile on my face no matter what the score.”


End file.
